Sep 18 Turku Day 2017

Yesterday was the best Turku Day yet! We went so many places, and there were still things we wanted to do but didn't have time for. Next year...

What we did get to do:

The Hashimoto exhibit at the Wäinö Aaltonen Museum. We only stopped in here because the first place we wanted to go to wasn't open yet, but what a happy accident! This exhibit was incredible.

This is where we were aiming for first, but ended up coming to second: Ars Nova. It's a history museum and an art museum under one roof. First we explored the foundations and ruins of some old stone houses by the river.

Then we went to the art part of the museum. The pieces were so beautiful - I want a big one on my living room wall. The artist's name is Tiina Pyykkinen, and this picture doesn't do her work justice. There's like a shadow or reflection of a scene, then a textured wash like an oil slick over the top. Gorgeous colors and hints of scenery.

The surprise hit of the day was watching this team of divers pull junk out of the Aura River! We ended up coming back to check on their progress three times during the day.

Mostly they found bikes. I keep thinking about all the possibilities for how those bikes ended up in the river. I've decided that it's probably some mix of drunken joyriding (own bikes or stolen bikes) too close to the edge, thwarted thieves, and honest accidents.

They also pulled a soccer goal/net out of the river. That was a huge mystery to me until I remembered that people place ice hockey upstream on the frozen river during the winter. It's not hard to imagine someone forgetting to remove the goal before the thaw.

They cleared away the candle and flower impromptu memorial for the stabbing victims and put up this memorial tree at Kauppatori instead.

Orthodox Church! We went inside.

Bike/pedestrian ferry! We rode it.

The downtown fire station had all their machinery out and the firefighterese were entertaining the kids. It was just as much fun watching the firefighters as it was watching the starstruck kids - the firefighters were having such a good time being every kid's hero. At one point, a fireman got in the cherry picker ladder thing and without any pomp or ceremony extended it to its furthest reach, way up into the sky. It was so quiet in the crowd - all the kids observed in awed silence.